This invention relates generally to automotive bodies and more particularly to understructures thereof.
Automotive body understructures having conventionally been formed of a planar floor panel and other members, such as a dashboard panel and side frames, which are secured directly to the peripheral edge of the floor panel by spot welding with appropriate reinforcing members employed at the welded joints to increase the mechanical strengths thereof. Understructures of such conventional form, however, have involved a disadvantage that more or less clearances or open gaps are formed in the welded joints and allow intrusion of water into the car room and sound propagation therein particularly in cases where the joint-forming surfaces of the floor panel, dashboard panel and other members have not been prepared accurately enough. In order to overcome such disadvantage, it is necessary to form the joint-forming surfaces with much higher accuracy while employing additional reinforcing members therefor and this results in reduction in fabrication efficiency and increase in number of component parts required.